took it for a spin ....... critical comment could tighten a bit on remapping stopping some extremes that have ugly results, obviously the user can pull back some parameters manually when it occurs so not any really problem

I have uploaded an update to this filter today.
It will give you 3 added controls over the contrast.
It sounds like an over kill, and in most cases it is, but this way you have much more control over the color contrast.

I have just tried the new updated filter, and I must say WOW !! Now is really a wonderful and very useful filter with the best way to control all the you would need and with lots of possible changes and adjustment.

Morgan ... I missed this update somehow (I ususlly only download filters once a week when I can borrow some WiFi from the library ... Things slip by me sometimes) I had downloaded your original and liked it but your added controls have really improved things. I tried making several HDR filters early on that I was never very happy with. You have solved several of the problems I couldn't quite get a handle on. In my Gallery thread I had demonstrated those filters using this image as a starting point. It is back lighted so it is both over and under exposted.

Using your filter brings detail to both the overexposed and underexposed areas. It does it without the grunge that my filters always added. The guy doesn't look like he has dirty arms .... I like that ... the tree is detailed and you can see the ocean ... I like that too ....

I did one where I did some highpass sharpening because I was trying to get more of a fake HDR image like you get with Topaz filters. The unfortunate result of doing that is bringing out the rough pixels is flat and washed out areas like the clouds and the clothing. It it easier to deal with overexposed than underexposed. This filters comes pretty close to getting it right though.

I liked Lipebianc's black and white example. I love high contrast images, so I did one. I haven't tried it yet but I thought that might be a way to create selections and selectively apply your filter to the overexposed and underexposed areas. This is a fun and useful filter ... Nice work ...

Glad you find the filter usefull, Gene. If you have any ideas on improving it I'd gladly try to implement them You don't really need to make selections in order to work on overexposed\underexposed areas independently. The filter already does that. You can adjust the mask that "divides" the image to over\under exposed, and work on each of the areas with it's own sliders.

This filter could be useful for many things and not ONLY for correcting the shadows and highlights, as it gives advanced controls for modifying the colors and lights of the image in a good and efficient way that is not possible in photoshop, at least in the same way.

And also could be a mix between this filter and others filters or tools to get the best result

Morgan ... Sorry I was just goofing a bit. (I'm like that you know) I understood how your filter worked. It is your masking method that makes it work so well. I was kicking myself for not thinking of it myself. My opinion is not to change this filter anymore, it is cool the way it is, but you could adapt it into another filter. With some high pass sharpening, final contrast, channel mixing color control, and maybe some other stuff, you could end up with a full range HDR filter. I'm afraid I disagree with SpaceRay ... most of this stuff can be done in Photoshop, but what you have put together saves hours of messing in layers or using comercial filters I can't afford .... Thanks for doing all the work .....

Gene S Morgan wrot:
I'm afraid I disagree with SpaceRay ... most of this stuff can be done in Photoshop, but what you have put together saves hours of messing in layers or using comercial filters I can't afford ..

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SpaceRay wrote:
it gives advanced controls for modifying the colors and lights of the image in a good and efficient way that is not possible in photoshop, at least in the same way.

Sorry I did not say that it was NOT possible to make in Photoshop, I said that it can´t be done in the SAME WAY as easy, good, fast and efficient way as you can do it with Morgantao´s filter and gives another different way to do it better than what would be needed to make it on Photoshop.

SpaceRay ... Didn't get what you were saying the first time. It is just that folks tend to make out that FF is as Morgan said elsewhere "Rocket Science" There are some guys here that are always telling the rest of us how it requires all kinds of science and math to make good filters. Those dudes just to need to pat themselves on the back all the time. They are just so much smarter than the rest of us. FF is just basically Photoshop actions with a GUI. I think too many people don't make filters because others have convinced them it is so hard. But, Morgan is obviously not afraid to experiment and have fun with the process. Good for him ... I thank him for that ... He makes my life easier ...(I don't know, maybe he is a rocket scientist) ....

Morgan ... I have been using your HDR filter ever since you uploaded it. You are right, using a couple of good filters can make for even better images. I agree that it is better to have two filters than one slow filter ... If a filter puts me to sleep waiting for it to do it's job I usually start looking for a faster filter to take it's place.

Gene S Morgan wrote:There are some guys here that are always telling the rest of us how it requires all kinds of science and math to make good filters. Those dudes just to need to pat themselves on the back all the time. They are just so much smarter than the rest of us. FF is just basically Photoshop actions with a GUI.

mmmm sound familar Morgan

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Gene S Morgan wrote:"Rocket Science"

or it's not brain surgery I think there is a balance between the FF discoveries of the super brains which do add to the knowledge base and the purely creative thinkers without the deep knowledge of coding and maths all contributing to filter creation, I basicly am as thick as a brick but like to think I can still create some interesting filter that are worth sharing ........ isn't that the beauty of FF that if you have a go at creating filters, see how filter that you like are created, learn, borrow, ask for help ........ we all can do it at some level which can have brillant result of creativity

Well said Carl. Personally I can't figure out half the things people like Sphinx, Uberzev, Inujima and some of the other big canons do in thier filters, but it works. And every now and then I can take a bit from their filter and make it work for me, even though it's a mystery as to how or why it does what it does.
I think and hope, that despite my cluelessness, I can contribute something usefull.

The best thing about the community here, is that even though I can't really understand what some people are talking about, they are very keen to help me learn So thanks everybody, FF wouldn't be the same without you!

Just my little opinion : I prefer two faster filters then one slow. When you combine two filters, this means that you get double components or controls that is no good for the speed. So when a filter is slower, I go get another one more faster.

About the map script, I like but sometime this gives a slower filter. So I prefer to contruct manually and get faster filters for me and for the users. If I have the choice between a 10 minutes and a 2 seconds for the rendering, I will go for the filter that offers those 2 seconds.

Ghislaine, you are right that combining two filters is not always a good idea.
Suppose one filter has 14 controls, and the other has 11 controls, do you really want to combine them and have a very complex filter, even if it's not very slow?

Sometimes, you have a simple filter with 1 or 2 controls, and it can have a dramatic impact on another filter, THEN it could be OK to combine them. Unless there's a gorilla involved, and then everything breaks....

Don't get me wrong Morgan, I agree with Gene and it's amazing how the biggest ego and rudeness go hand in hand, I put it down to a desperate need to feel important and a failure to have any real life achievements